Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps her Department is taking to collect scientific evidence about the potential impact of deep sea mining on deep-sea ecosystems.

The UK is continuing to develop a better understanding of the impacts of deep-sea mining. Through Government sponsorship of academic research and existing exploration licences, over 70 peer-reviewed publications supporting a greater understanding of environmental issues have already been produced, with more to come. We have also commissioned an independent evidence review into the potential risks and benefits of deep-sea mining, and this has been published in line with our commitment to transparency and developing the global evidence base in relation to deep-sea mining. The review was published in October 2022 and is available here:

https://www.bgs.ac.uk/news/deep-sea-mining-evidence-review-published/

Further and detailed environmental impact assessments would be required in advance of any exploitation licence being issued by the UK.